Citizens of Collingwood in SE Vancouver - Thank you

Thank you for SHOVELING your sidewalks SO well during the last SUCKAGE of 3 weeks of snow.

Why am I thanking them you ask?

Well, yesterday….after feeling pretty smug about getting all the Christmas decorations packed up and stuffed back in our storage locker, we decided to go to Milestones for a treat for dinner.

The closest one is still a bit of a way from us, but (usually) an easy drive up to Lougheed and Wilingdon.

The kids LOVE the watercress dip.

Anyway…it was rainy…but the roads were clear and the forecast has been that rain was FINALLY arriving to wash away all the whiteness.

It was a bit of a mix of rain and snow as we headed.  We did NOT expect the white out conditions we faced when we stepped back out of the restaurant around 6ish.

There was no rain…it was a full on blizzard.  

After Patrick PUSHING us out of the parking lot, we slithered down Willingdon with all the other idiots/ poor souls who were caught in it.

Cars were skidding and sliding all over.. a poor bus had its flashers on and was struggling even on the flat terrain.  Cars were being abandoned ALL OVER THE PLACE.

We knew we couldn’t make it up Willingdon to Kingsway…we could see the carnage as we hit Deer Lake Parkway….and Patrick had already had to get out and push a couple of more times.  Cars were getting maybe a quarter of a way up the hill and then skidding out of control..either that or they just TRIED to do a sort of slippery U-ey and get back down the hill.

Buses were parked on the hill….a total mess.

So we we swung right along Deer Lake..where Pat had to push us AGAIN up the hill.

We managed to get along Boundary till again we could see the carnage ahead as people tried to crest the ridge to Kingsway.

‘No Way,’ we figured…so we swung along to Joyce to check the hill there.

THAT hill was blocked by TWO buses…both stuck ACROSS the right lane causing any cars that COULD make it up the hill to use the wrong side of the road.

It was a disaster.

Deciding we had probably gotten as close to home with the car as we could, we found a legal parking spot near there and prepared the kids for a LONG walk home.

It was a big adventure for them and again….because of all the people along Tyne who have done a GREAT job maintaining their sidewalks, the kids managed great…it took us just over an hour.

So today, we are going to head out by bus (hopefully) and (hopefully) find our car intact and unticketed and get it back home.

The one thing we noticed, which was nice…was that ALL the driver were very patient…no idiots…and that people were helpful too.  A guy helped us out of the Milestones parking lot and we saw lots of pedestrians on Joyce helping the cars out on the hill.  Patrick even helped a car as we trudged home along Kingsway.

I hope that THIS forecast for rain this time is true.

I have had enough of the bad weather and snow.

I don’t want to wear my boots anymore.

Vancouverites don’t do snow unless it is on the mountains.